That Day

11 - A pinch of love

Emilie Agreste stopped in the hall and looked around carefully. She noticed a great portrait of her husband and her son. It must have been painted after her disappearance. She sighed sadly and glanced over her shoulder at her son. At least he was happy. Ever since they left the Hawkmoth's shelter, Adrien didn't let his cute girlfriend out of his embrace. Emilie smiled slightly. One of her dreams came true – her son was in love with someone who loved him too.

"I'm... hungry?" Emilie said surprised a little, as if she had forgotten about such ordinary needs like eating.

Adrien immediately stopped whispering with Marinette and looked at his mother concerned.

"We can go to the dining room and ask for dinner, mom." He replied.

Marinette glanced at him. She liked the soft note in his voice when he said the word "mom". She wanted to kiss him again. Okay... She wanted to kiss him all the time. But after something like that, it was particularly difficult to control herself.

"I've never liked that dining room." Emilie confessed. "Let's eat in the kitchen."

"In the kitchen?" Adrien was surprised.

"No! Not this one!" she laughed, guessing that her son thought about their main kitchen, where professional chefs – chosen by Gabriel, of course – were busy with cooking for the Agreste family. "I mean rather our small kitchen upstairs. Is it still working?"

"Rather, it's covered with dust." Adrien murmured.

When his mother disappeared, that kitchen was forbidden for Adrien. Too many memories of his mom were related to that room.

"Your father would never let anything in this house to be covered with dust." Emilie quipped. Marinette looked at her in astonishment. How it had happened that this woman loved such a man as Gabriel Agreste?

They went upstairs. Indeed, there was a kitchen right next to Adrien's room, but Marinette wouldn't call it "small". In fact, it was bigger than they had at home. But if Emilie Agreste called it a small kitchen, then let it be. Marinette didn't even try to imagine their main kitchen!

After a while, they settled down comfortably at a small table. In front of all of them there were three mugs with hot chocolate made by Marinette. Adrien had tried to pry about her technique, but she referred to Dupain-Cheng family secrecy and sent him away before he knew the secrets of preparing the perfect chocolate.

"Can you explain all those things now?" Emilie asked quietly and took a sip of the chocolate. She sent amazed look to Marinette. "It's delicious. I haven't drunk such perfect chocolate in my life!"

Adrien smiled, and sparkles emerged in his eyes. He glanced at Marinette. She was sitting flushed and embarrassed as if she didn't expect a praise. She looked so adorable, that he barely kept his seat. They couldn't snuggle all the time, especially in front of his mother. Until now they weren't so concerned about his mom's presence. Too much had happened in the last hour, too much relief they felt, too many feelings vented and found reciprocity – too much to be concerned about someone's presence. Even if it was his dear mother who he'd been missing for so long.

But now, when the emotions, related to defeating Hawkmoth and to getting mother back, had subsided Adrien felt somewhat uncomfortable with her presence. Not enough to not sit next to Marinette and to hold her hand. But certainly enough to not allow himself to do anything more. At least for now.

Emilie smiled slightly and both kids blushed. Marinette even made a move, as if she wanted to hide her hand, but Adrien didn't let her do it. He had just sacrificed his life for her. They had just confessed their feelings – there was nothing to be ashamed of. The more, there was his mother sitting on the other side of the table – the person most well-wishing to him in all his life.

"I have no idea what you added to this chocolate, but I've already felt much better." Adrien's mom whispered.

"It's chocolate." Marinette smiled. "It helps by definition."

Emilie stared at the girl's smile. With every moment she understood better and better why her son lost his head for her. Because it was obvious that he had completely lost his head for her. It was enough to watch carefully how he looked at Marinette, how he hugged her, how he held her hand.

"So, why didn't you let me see how you prepared it?" Adrien asked, winking at Marinette.

"I told you it was a family secret, and your surname is neither Dupain nor Cheng."

"I would say that everything's kept in the family." He winked at her and she blushed immediately in response. He grinned and added: "Come on, share your secret!"

"But it's silly..." she whispered embarrassed. "It's a kind of magic spell..."

"Considering that none of us believe in magic or spells..." he joked, so he earned a nudge.

"What's the spell?" Emilie asked quietly, and kids became serious.

"Uhm..." Marinette stuttered. "My parents and I... We usually say that we add... uhm... a pinch of love." She blushed to the roots of her hair.

"No wonder that it's so delicious then." Adrien's mom whispered, dropping her gaze into a mug of chocolate to give the kids a hint of privacy – at least in this way. Yet, she managed to see how her son looked at his girlfriend. And she thought it was so fortunate that Adrien was able to feel and to express his feelings.

"You must have added quite a considerable pinch." Adrien whispered in Marinette's ear.

"The quantity doesn't matter, only the quality." Marinette answered back.

For a moment he wasn't sure if she was doing that on purpose or unintentionally, but she was becoming more and more adorable with every moment. Was it possible that he would be more and more in love with her?

"In that case, I'm impressed by the quality, M'Lady." He said quietly, staring into her eyes so that she stopped breathing. He leaned to kiss her, but she moved back a bit. Maybe his mother was gazing on the mug of chocolate, but she was still there. For Marinette it was too much.